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Anonymous Users and Coupon Redemption

Legacy 1.0 Application Only

Note: the following scenario applies to static products only, not variable products.

Anonymous users are able to browse the catalog and add static products to their shopping cart. Once on the shopping cart page, they are able to populate any order/line item level fields, including coupons. At the point they enter in a coupon, they are still an Anonymous User, which presents a risk of fraud if the coupon has limits on redemption.

In the case above, the coupon would have been redeemed by the Anonymous User instead of a profiled user. So, that same profiled user could return to the site in the future as an Anonymous User and apply the same coupon again as an Anonymous User before being profiled.

Example Scenario:

John Doe arrives on Four51 as an Anonymous User
John Doe browses and adds a product to his cart
He applies coupon ABC123 to the shopping cart
John clicks "Check Out" and profiles himself as a real user, John Doe
Then Submits the order
At a later date, John Doe arrives on Four51 as an Anonymous User
Browses and adds a product to his cart
Applies same coupon (ABC123) to the shopping cart and is allowed to because at this point in the check-out process the system knows John as an Anonymous User, not John
Clicks "Check Out" and logs on as user John Doe
Submits order

To prevent this situation from occurring, the user needs to register or log in as a real, profiled user prior to the shopping cart page. A JavaScript-based solution that will automatically direct the user to the Identify User page when adding the first product to the cart has been identified. Then, the user will either register or login before being directed to the shopping cart page to apply their coupon and check out. In short, the system now has a unique and permanent identification of the user before the coupon is applied. If you are interested in learning about this solution please submit a case.

Reference Material: None